[FN#159] The Cirrhadae of classical writers.

　　The unequal combat did not last long. Gunakar， the soldier， wielded his strong right arm with fatal effect and struck down some threescore of the foes. But new swarms came on like angry hornets buzzing round the destroyer of their nests. And when he fell， Devasharma， who had left him for a moment to hide his beautiful wife in the hollow of a tree， returned， and stood fighting over the body of his friend till he also， overpowered by numbers， was thrown to the ground. Then the wild men， drawing their knives， cut off the heads of their helpless enemies， stripped their bodies of all their ornaments， and departed， leaving the woman unharmed for good luck.

　　When Unmadini， who had been more dead than alive during the affray， found silence succeed to the horrid din of shrieks and shouts， she ventured to creep out of her refuge in the hollow tree. And what does she behold？ her husband and his friend are lying upon the ground， with their heads at a short distance from their bodies. She sat down and wept bitterly.

　　Presently， remembering the lesson which she had learned that very morning， she drew forth from her bosom the bit of thread and proceeded to use it. She approached the heads to the bodies， and tied some of the magic string round each neck. But the shades of evening were fast deepening， and in her agitation， confusion and terror， she made a curious mistake by applying the heads to the wrong trunks. After which， she again sat down， and having recited her prayers， she pronounced， as her husband had taught her， the life-giving incantation.

　　In a moment the dead men were made alive. They opened their eyes， shook themselves， sat up and handled their limbs as if to feel that all was right. But something or other appeared to them all wrong. They placed their palms upon their foreheads， and looked downwards， and started to their feet and began to stare at their hands and legs. Upon which they scrutinized the very scanty articles of dress which the wild men had left upon them， and lastly one began to eye the other with curious puzzled looks.

　　The wife， attributing their gestures to the confusion which one might expect to find in the brains of men who have just undergone so great a trial as amputation of the head must be， stood before them for a moment or two. She then with a cry of gladness flew to the bosom of the individual who was， as she supposed， her husband. He repulsed her， telling her that she was mistaken. Then， blushing deeply in spite of her other emotions， she threw both her beautiful arms round the neck of the person who must be， she naturally concluded， the right man. To her utter confusion， he also shrank back from her embrace.

　　Then a horrid thought flashed across her mind： she perceived her fatal mistake， and her heart almost ceased to beat.

　　"This is thy wife！" cried the Brahman's head that had been fastened to the soldier's body.

　　"No； she is thy wife！" replied the soldier's head which had been placed upon the Brahman's body.

　　"Then she is my wife！" rejoined the first compound creature.

　　"By no means！ she is my wife，" cried the second.

　　"What then am I？" asked Devasharma-Gunakar.

　　"What do you think I am？" answered GunakarDevasharma， with another question.

　　"Unmadini shall be mine，" quoth the head.

　　"You lie， she shall be mine，" shouted the body.

　　"Holy Yama，[FN#160] hear the villain，" exclaimed both of them at the same moment.

　　[FN#160] The Hindu Pluto； also called the Just King.

　　* * * * *

　　In short， having thus begun， they continued to quarrel violently， each one declaring that the beautiful Unmadini belonged to him， and to him only. How to settle their dispute Brahma the Lord of creatures only knows. I do not， except by cutting off their heads once more， and by putting them in their proper places. And I am quite sure， O Raja Vikram！ that thy wits are quite unfit to answer the question， To which of these two is the beautiful Unmadini wife？ It is even said——amongst us Baitals ——that when this pair of half-husbands appeared in the presence of the Just King， a terrible confusion arose， each head declaiming all the sins and peccadilloes which its body had committed， and that Yama the holy ruler himself hit his forefinger with vexation.[FN#161]